EQUITY acted as the General Partner of the conference «Compensation for Damage Caused by Aggression: Law & War — 2025»
EQUITY is among the founding members of the Conference «Compensation for Damage Caused by Aggression: Law & War — 2025» and has been its General Partner for the fourth consecutive year.
This year's event, organized by the Yuridychna Praktyka Publishing House, brought together leading legal scholars, practitioners, and policymarkers for an in-depth discussion on the mechanisms of legal redress and reparations for damage inflicted by acts of aggression.
Oleh Malinevskyi, Managing Partner at EQUITY, and Oleh Valendyuk, Managing Partner at Benchers Law Firm, co-moderated the first session.
The first session was opened by Oleh, who emphasized:
«Today, we- as legal professionals, are currently engaged in a form of 'lawfare,' a term used to describe a struggle for justice and the restoration of rights through legal means. Our mission is multifaceted - to ensure legal accountability of the aggressor, to secure adequate reparations for the victims of war, and to establish legal precedents that will shield the international community from future acts of aggression.»
The first session focused on international legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms for reparations and compensation arising from the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine.
The experts discussed the following points:
- The jurisdictional immunity of the aggressor state and possible legal avenues for its derogation.
- The establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression
- Procedural and enforcement mechanisms to secure effective compensation to individuals and businesses.
- The use of income from frozen Russian assets
- The role of the International Register of Damages and war risk insurance instruments.
The conference gathered representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Register of Damages for Ukraine, and prominent lawyers and experts. They underlined the need for legislative modernisation, efficient implementation of international legal mechanisms, and coordinated action between the state, business sector, and legal community to ensure effective remedies and restitution for victims of war.
The subsequent stage of the conference featured an open interview with Dmytro Tylipskiy, Partner at EQUITY, and Vitalii Urkevych, Secretary of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, on the topic «Protecting human rights during war — challenges for Ukrainian justice.»
Dmytro noted:
«We are aware that some judges remain in the temporarily occupied territories, while certain courts have been destroyed. It is crucial to assess the extent to which access to justice and the continuity of judicial protection are maintained for Ukrainians under such exceptional circumstances.»
Vitalii Urkevych elaborated on the swift adaptation of the judicial system to combat conditions, emerging challenges in judicial practice, and the implications of judicial immunity for the aggressor state in cases involving compensation for damages. During the interview, significant attention was devoted to the practice of the Grand Chamber, judicial activism, and new forms of communication by the Supreme Court.
«Even in wartime,the rule of law and the judiciary remain fundamental guarantees of statehood, justice, and trust in the system,» Dmytro concluded.
The conference demonstrated the solidarity and consolidation of the Ukrainian and international legal community in the pursuit of justice and establishment of effective reparations frameworks for Ukraine.
EQUITY remains committed to advancing initiatives that promote justice restoration, accountability for aggression, and the development of enforceable international mechanisms for damage compensation.